Bracelet coupling



Patented Sept;

ART H Apnny, 'orfrnovrnifjzlvcn,Y RHODE ISLAND;

` Bnncntnncourmne r Application ieanecemberal, 1929.; serialfno.;aimee. l.;

This invention relates to couplings for de-A tachably. securing. al .bracelet .end to a wrist watchorfthe like, and has for its principal ob# ject the v`'provision Foi' a .separable coupling `which maybe `quickly Aand easily applied to Vthe'end link of'a flexible bracelet ofthe type I comprising a seriesof hollow Vlinks or tubes and interconnecting staples having eX- tending'into and secured withinladjacent n tubes, andwhichmay beheld in attached positionby pivoting thercoupling between the i usual attachment flugs wrist Watch` or the like.

A recommended embodiment of the inven` tion sillustrated in the accompanying draws'` ings iniasfsociation withjarflexible-link brace let constructed substantially as described in my copending application Serial No. 365,092, `tiled May 22,1929, but the improved coupling may obviously'be employed withother types of bracelets having a hollow end link to'receive the coupling.`

In the drawings, v L f Fig. 1 is a top'view of a link bracelet having its respective endsattached to a wrist watch' andabracelet connector by means ofthe improved coupllngs; I

Fig. 2 1s an enlarged view showing the mode `oi applying thetcoupling to the bracelet;V

Fig. 3 is anedge view of the bracelet andV couplingg. i Figs'. d and 5 are details of the coupling velements and Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional viewiof al pintle member iormingpart of the coupling.

The illustrated braceletcomprises a plurality of hollow links 6 interconnected in parallel relation by staples 7 having their legs re#` ceived within opposite ends Vof adjacent links and straddling the contiguous walls thereof. The ends of the corresponding legs of each complementalpair of staples are interlocked,

as by interengaging projections and recesses 4on the overlapping ends shown at (Fig. 2) In other forms of similar iiexible link brace- V lets, for example in the structure shown 1n the patent to Brandt No.f1,708,l66, dated April 9, 1925, the staple legs are interlocked A with projections on the walls of the tubes.

Inorder to decrease the length of abracetached to the` link atfthe end of let vor bracelet sectioniof thistype, itis tomary to pull out thestaples in `order to rem'ove'the required number of links;v and this;V operation often resultsfingdeformation of the.,-

:staples so that they cannotbereplaced.'l Ale-. '.cordingly it is impractical to'i attempt to adje...

just the bracelet lengthby removinglinks intermediate'the ends ofthe bracelet,and .asthe1 end links of the bracelets heretoforeiinuse usually had a coupllngmcmberpermanently 4fastenedr theretotthe adjustment could not]` conveniently be made at the braceletend.l .Y

Itis accordingly thek principalpurpose off couling forattac'hment to thejend link, sothat thev coupling may be detached to permitthe' removal of a number of links and againfat-J bracelet. Tothe attainmentof this PurpQS, thecoupling comprises a pair of .Similar memi bers, indicated generally at 9-A in-Fig. l1, and

slot 12 between the body and the hookll,` Ash j .80W

shownin 3,the lhookportionmay be folded upon itselfW during the forming opera-f the adjusted a -hooky .portion i the present inventionto providelaseparable tion to provide double vthickness oftheA InateJl jrial,ifdesired. j

' The hooksll oftherespectivecoupling 24.

members areformed to slide within the v op-f positeends ofthe terminallink 6in the same manner asthelegsv of the'` staples .7, Abut theV hooks are notv interlocked or iotherwi se fasv Q l tened-directly to the link. A,The coupling members arepreferably held. in attached po,` sition on the` bracelet end by pivoting the sleeve .portions .thereof between the: custornf. ary lugs 13 of awrist watch 14 or Vsimilar Y lugs 15 of abracelet attachment16,`as shown j. f95f in Fig. 1, the pivotpinsorpintles which'f'clon-rV neet Vthe coupling with'the lugs being (:l -i tacl1 v the' partsi Thus the p-intle preferablyV- in-.1

'cludesab'arrel 1 7 which fits inthe` aligned o sleeve. portions 10 vand a pair "of spring Vably .mounted to permit easyv separation of" together endwise u on the barrel 17 leaving` the tips 18 protruding at opposite ends, and the coupling is attached between the lugsV 13 by depressing the `tips which will then spring outwardly into the lug apertures.

A coupling constructedl and arranged as above described is simple and economical to manufacture, easy to apply upon a bracelet end and to attach to a watch or other article of jewelry, neat and compact in structure, and attractive in appearance. It will be imderstood, however, that structural details oi' the devices herein described may be varied to` suit particularv purposes without departing Jfrom the essence of this invention defined in the following claims.

I claim: j

1. A coupling for detachably connecting the end link of a bracelet with a wrist watch or the like having projecting lugs, comprising a pair of separable members each having a hook portion and a sleeve portion, the respective hook portions being received within the oppositel ends of said link` with the sleeve portions in alignment, and means passing through the aligned sleeves for removably securing the aligned sleeve portions between said lugs.

Q. A coupling for detachably connecting the end link of a bracelet with a wrist watch or the like having projecting lugs, comprising a pair of separable members each having a hook portion and a sleeve portion, the respective hook portions being received within the opposite ends of said link with the sleeve portions in alignment, and means passing through the aligned sleeves for pivotally securing the aligned sleeve portions between said'lugs.

3. A coupling for detachably connecting the end link of a bracklet with a wrist watch or the like having projecting lugs, comprising a pair of separable members each having a hook portion and a sleeve portion, the respective hook portions being received within the opposite ends of said link with the sleeve port-ions in alignment, and a pintle passing through the aligned sleeve portions and removably supported by said lugs for holding the slee-ve portions between the lugs.

ll. A separable coupling for detachably connecting ahollow link at the end of a bracelet with a wrist watch or similar article h LLS having a pair of parallel, spaced projecting lugs, comprising two similar coupling members each having a sleeve and an integral hook extending parallel thereto, the respective hooks being received within the opposite open ends of said link and the sleeves being disposed in end-to-end alignment between said lugs, and a pintle passing through the aligned sleeves and having its ends projecting into said lugs, the pintle being removable trom the lugs and from at least one of the sleeves to permit detachment of the coupling members from the link.

5. A separable coupling 'for detachably connecting al hollow link at the end of a bracelet with a wrist watch or similar article havinga pair of parallel, spaced projecting lugs, comprising two similar coupling niembers each having a sleeve and an integral hook extending parallel thereto, the respective hooks being received within the opposite open ends of said link and the sleeves being disposed in end-to-end alignment between said lugs, and a. barrel passing through the aligned sleeves, the barrel having springpressed tips detacha-blv mounted in said lugs, whereby the barrel may be separated from the lugs and from the sleeves to permit detachment of the coupling members from the link.

Signed by meat Providencedhode island, this seventeenth day of December, 1929.

' ART HADLEY. 

